Birmingham Aces Commonwealth Games Race

Author:
Tom Hodson

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6 minutes

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In a sensational coup for the second city, Birmingham has been officially named as host of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

After securing the Government’s backing in September, the city was today officially announced as the chosen bidder to host the 11-day international festival of sport, set to take place in the summer of 2022.

A major feather in the city’s cap, the event, the biggest sporting spectacle in Britain since the 2012 Olympics, will deliver an estimated £750 million boost to the regional economy, alongside major investment in sporting arenas including an upgrade to the already highly renowned Alexander Stadium and a new competition standard pool.

What’s more, the economic benefits will extend way beyond the West Midlands, with the Games estimated to return £1.1 billion to the wider economy and support over 4,000 jobs until 2022.

It will also facilitate the building of hundreds of new homes at Perry Barr in the north of the city and see significant, city-wide transport investment brought forward to ensure new Metro Tram lines and rapid bus systems are in place.

The 2022 event was initially set to be hosted in Durban, South Africa but the bid stalled after running into financial difficulties. That left other cities open to submitting their own proposals with Birmingham, eventually becoming the UK’s preferred host following a closely-fought, two-horse race with Liverpool.

“It’s a huge endorsement of Birmingham’s credentials as a world-class city,” said Phil Carlin, managing director of SevenCapital. “The city has long been an attractive proposition for overseas investors but playing host to a globally recognised sporting event like this will take interest in working and doing business here to the next level.”

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It’s a huge endorsement of Birmingham’s credentials as a world-class city. The city has long been an attractive proposition for overseas investors but playing host to a globally recognised sporting event like this will take interest in working and doing business here to the next level.